You Ate WHAT? Contest.: Gold Medal Winner

Has anyone heard of "thousand day eggs"? My father said he saw them while in Japan (or was it Hawaii?) He, however, didn't say if he ate them or not.
It involves burying eggs in the sand below the high tide line for many moons. Perhaps the salt pickles them, I don't know. Maybe my dad was just trying to get me to appreciate the dinner he was serving me at the time...
CS

[kokopuffs]

Once upon a time in my gentle and placid youth, I went to the circus. 'Twas my very first circus, and my last. Thereupon I spied an old, wrinkled, and perhaps lonely elephant standing stately while swaying back and forth on all fours. You know how elephants are. I walked over to him and gently stroked his trunk. To my surprise, he sneezed in my face - thru his trunk. I really ate it!

[LoriB]

CS, Yes, I have heard of those eggs. Amy Tan talks about them in one of her books,I can't remember which one, but not the most recent. I also have a friend who has eaten them, she said they wre really over-rated, she did not care for them....

[mudbug]

I wouldn't say they were "overated" I don't believe many people rave about them. It's an aquired taste as are most foods with which we have not grown up with. I highly doubt many who have not grown up with them would like them.

Even though they are called "1000 Year Old Eggs" it only takes 100 days to cure them.

You should be able to find them at your local asian grocery store. They are usually duck eggs. They are extremly unique in appearance and smell. They look like black/grey jello with crystals (once you peel off the shell) and they have an extremely strong sulfuric aroma. (so don't be surprised by the smell)

This is a Chinese delicacy and the eggs are cured, well, not for a 1000 years, but only 100 days! Originally, duck eggs were used and are still being used in China but you may substitute chicken eggs. If you are on good terms with your Chinese take-away, forget about the cost and buy a dozen or so cured eggs. Otherwise, start preparing!

Lime: from your building supply store
Coarse salt: from your grocery or supermarket
Dry green tea leaves: you only drink coffee? Well buy a packet of tea or two
Ashes: you will have to ask a friendly guy in Ismailovo, making Shashlik, for any leftovers.
Charcoal: from the household section of your department store, you have to crush them into a fine powder. Depending on how many eggs you want to make, you need about 3 kg of the above mixture for 12 eggs.

Prepare an equal amount of all the ingredients in a bowl and mix them well. In an
earthenware pot cover the bottom with the mixture and spread the eggs evenly upon it. Make sure they do not touch! Fill the spaces with the mixture and put another layer off eggs on top. You can press the coating down a little, but it is not recommended to age eggs that are cracked or completely broken. Cover the last layer of eggs completely and put a lid on your container. Store in a cool place for three months. Do not put in a Refrigerator, remember THIS was the main way the Chinese preserved their eggs in the old days. They did not have refrigerators then!. (The Chinese Chef, who gave me this recipe, also told me that if the temperature is too cold the mixture will not ‘work’ and the eggs will not be cured.)

How should they be eaten? Either shelled and sliced and then served cold, (uncooked of course). Or you might want to serve them steamed with your next Chinese take-away!

This from an article 1000 Year Old Eggs by Chef Morak

Geez, all this time I thought Head Cheese was the worst food anyone could possibly eat!

[Papa]

While living in France, I was served by the local gas station attendant "pate du renard" for being a dedicated client. I was surprised to be offered such delicacy at a gas station but I was even more surprised to find out that the beautiful pate was that of the fox.

[shahar]

Does eating live baby crabs(they walk in the mouth until you crunch) qualify for bronze?
I don't know who tends to eat this in the world, but I used to eat that as a 5am snack when I worked for a fish monger.
Taste like a combo of caviar, softshell crab and sea urchin. Just squigllier.

[Stewey]

This was gross but it wasnt me who ate it...as a starving college student, my friend ate all that was left in the apartment: Top Ramen and Creamed Corn...MIXED!!!!! He started dry heaving. I wanna hear about gross foods that AREN'T delicacies somewhere in the world. Can anyone top this?

[redace1960]

shahar- ive done that! cleaning horseclams...you scrape off the muscle from the shell, suck that off your knife, (delicious) then in goes the little crabby guy that lives in the horseclams shell with him (same flavor, plus a certain scrabbly quality until you bite him). the rest of the clam gets ground for fritters.
about witchetty grubs...saw a travelogue where the host downed a live one and it was NOT small. this thing was the size of your common breakfast sausage, only animated. and translucent. what i want to know to is, whats it the grub of? a pterodactyl???????

[chiffonade]

I enjoy:

Tripe (Italian, Chinese and Menudo)
Chicken Feet (Chinese)
Brains (Arab)
Liver (American - with onions)
Kidneys (French)
Pig Feet (Italian)
Pig Ears (Italian)
Pig Skin (makes a nice bracciola)
Escargots (French, Italian and Chinese)

Perhaps the most rare delicacy I have sampled is:

Lamb Spinal Cord (Arab)

I used to eat beef esophagus and windpipe until they were outlawed. When I was a kid, my mother would still be able to get them from a butcher (contraband meat?) and she'd simmer them in tomato sauce.

[toddlove8845]

live octopus with salt sesame dipping sauce. Realy good and briney but kind of strange to feel it move in your mouth.

Fermented skate fish with a sweet chili dipping sauce. This is the worst it tastes like ammonia.

[shroomgirl]

why oh why did I start reading this thread while eating wonderful asian flavored baked chicken wings!!! My stomach is generally pretty strong but when I got to the clams/grubs and lines after ....it just put me off food...
ugh.

[chiffonade]

Originally Posted by toddlove8845

live octopus with salt sesame dipping sauce. Realy good and briney but kind of strange to feel it move in your mouth.

There are Greek places near here that serve octopus. Got DH hooked on it. I've had it before, it's part of every Christmas Eve Seafood Salad - but DH hadn't.

[toddlove8845]

the octupus(baby) I was talking about was Korean style served live.

[Marie]

The food was surprisingly good considering the menu.